<i>Bemisia tabaci</i> Vesicle-Associated Membrane Protein 2 Interacts with Begomoviruses and Plays a Role in Virus Acquisition
Yun-Yun Fan,
Yu-Wei Zhong,
Jing Zhao,
Yao Chi,
Sophie Bouvaine,
Shu-Sheng Liu,
Susan E. Seal,
Xiao-Wei Wang
Affiliations
Yun-Yun Fan
Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Yu-Wei Zhong
Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Jing Zhao
Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Yao Chi
Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Sophie Bouvaine
Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TB, UK
Shu-Sheng Liu
Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Susan E. Seal
Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TB, UK
Xiao-Wei Wang
Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Begomoviruses cause substantial losses to agricultural production, especially in tropical and subtropical regions, and are exclusively transmitted by members of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci species complex. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the transmission of begomoviruses by their whitefly vector are not clear. In this study, we found that B. tabaci vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (BtVAMP2) interacts with the coat protein (CP) of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), an emergent begomovirus that seriously impacts tomato production globally. After infection with TYLCV, the transcription of BtVAMP2 was increased. When the BtVAMP2 protein was blocked by feeding with a specific BtVAMP2 antibody, the quantity of TYLCV in B. tabaci whole body was significantly reduced. BtVAMP2 was found to be conserved among the B. tabaci species complex and also interacts with the CP of Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus (SLCMV). When feeding with BtVAMP2 antibody, the acquisition quantity of SLCMV in whitefly whole body was also decreased significantly. Overall, our results demonstrate that BtVAMP2 interacts with the CP of begomoviruses and promotes their acquisition by whitefly.